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“You ungrateful little bitch.”
She relaxed when David laid his warm, strong hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. “Yes. I suppose you would think I’m ungrateful. But that’s your disgusting view of most everyone who hated Nicholas.” Stepping out of David’s hold, but taking his hand in hers, she motioned with her other hand toward her ‘guest.’ “David, this is Nicholas’ mother, Carleene Campisi. Carleene, this is David Haggerty.”
She watched as once again David’s impeccable manners took over, and he stepped forward to shake the disgusting woman’s hand. This time, Carleene weakly proffered her hand.
“Pleasure to meet you.” His sexy low voice sounded like a love song to her. But she heard the hesitation.
“I highly doubt that, Mr. Haggerty.” Carleene primly sniffed and narrowed her gaze in his direction.
He stepped back, turned to her, his brows raised.
“So, I just came to demand Kiera pay me back the money she owes me.”
“I don’t owe you any money, Carleene. It’s ridiculous for you to claim so.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Kiera. You sold the condo in Madison. Nicholas left that to you in his will.”
“Yes. The only thing he left me.”
“Well, you didn’t pay attention overly much, did you? It stated in his papers that if you ever sold the condo and took up with someone else, that money would come to his heirs. That’s me.”
“It never said that in the will.”
The older woman swept invisible lint from her red power suit. Her blue-black hair was pulled back sharply in a knot at the top of her head. Her nails matched her suit. Pity flitted through her and then hilarity at the audacity of this woman.
“No, you’re correct; it was not in the will. However, Nicholas knew what a gold digger you were and took steps to make sure you could never get your hands on his money. After all, that’s why you married him.”
26
His stomach twisted as he watched these two women square off.
“You are the most preposterous woman I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing,” Kiera snapped.
“Well, well, the little mouse grew a spine.”
Kiera’s jaw tightened. He didn’t know if he should stay and hear this conversation or let them hash it out. Much like watching an accident happen, he was hard-pressed to look away from it all.
Carleene pulled an envelope from her red purse. It appeared she’d come ready to battle. Red suit, red purse, red nails, and shoes. She tossed the envelope onto the antique coffee table and folded her hands on top of her purse. A Cheshire cat smirk on her lips.
Kiera stepped forward and gently picked up the envelope. Sheets of paper stapled together were unfolded, and Kiera began to read the documents. As she turned the first page, her fingers shook, then her whole body visibly shook. He stepped forward to ease her into a side chair. He sat at the edge of the sofa, closest to the chair and watched as she read.
“Mr. Haggerty, I’m not sure what your connection is with Kiera, but if you thought you were going to get your hands on Nicholas’ money, you have another thing coming.”
Coughing on the bitter pill she’d just tossed over at him, he jerked his head toward Carleene. “Excuse me?”
“Allow me to paraphrase those documents in Kiera’s hands. My son, Nicholas, was talked into marrying Kiera by that ludicrous father of hers. The two of them, Kiera and her father, only wanted Nicholas’ money. My son rightfully inherited my husband’s companies and was making them even more prosperous when this little strumpet and her father saw him as a mark. Nicholas was handsome, smart, and wealthy. Those types of men are highly sought after and always targets of gold diggers and lowlifes. Unfortunately, he succumbed to this little bitch’s wiles and was talked into marriage. Of course, it was a shotgun wedding. They’d eloped and were married before I knew anything about it, or I would surely have stopped the whole fiasco.”
“I wish you would have really known how that marriage took place Carleene. And Nicholas was not the mark in this scenario; I was. Or, more aptly put, I was the pawn.” Kiera’s voice raised as he watched her back stiffen and her jaw tighten.
David cleared his throat to interject, “It seems as though you both have a different truth than the other. Perhaps you each should communicate only through legal counsel.” The knot growing in his stomach was beginning to burn.
“That document Kiera is holding is from my attorney. She would have been fine had she continued to live in the condo Nicholas so generously left to her upon his death. But, she wanted only the money, and, apparently, you. It’s actually because of you that she now owes me money. Nicholas’ wishes were that if she sold the Madison condo and began seeing anyone, the money she made on the condo would go to his heirs.” She sniffed again, but her eyes narrowed, and she pierced Kiera with them. “It’s all her fault that Nicholas and Vanessa are gone. Did she tell you how they died?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, a car accident.”
“Hm. That’s all she told you? Didn’t she tell you she left them with only a note on the table to never come looking for her?”
Kiera gasped. “I never did that.”
